Quick question - Are jack stands ok for suspending a ZL1 over winter so I can remove the wheels for warm storage. My garage is detached and not heated. I'm trying to follow the manufacturers guide lines.

Is there something better to use?

SQUALO

11-24-2012 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZL1Bullet
(Post 5840467)

Quick question - Are jack stands ok for suspending a ZL1 over winter so I can remove the wheels for warm storage. My garage is detached and not heated. I'm trying to follow the manufacturers guide lines.

Is there something better to use?

IMOP
Removal of tires is not necessary for winter storage, that's more for long term storage.

I lay a tarp down on the garage floor,wrap it up over the tires and then use my high quality car cover (Hugger car cover). I've been doing this for 3 seasons and never had any issues in the spring.

Again, that's my opinion/storage method, you have to decide what's best for you.

tpower

11-24-2012 05:14 PM

Mine sits on rubber mats with a car cover

gramps_green_rs

11-24-2012 05:40 PM

:chevy: have to agree with the above. probably not cold enough in London to worry about taking the wheels off. :chevy:

gramps

gs-63

11-24-2012 06:51 PM

My garage is not heated either. I store my ZL1 on "FlatStopper" from Race Ramp and
leave the wheels on.

CDN SS

11-24-2012 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tpower
(Post 5841674)

Mine sits on rubber mats with a car cover

X2

Zdrrguy

11-24-2012 11:06 PM

Leave the wheels on it, but go to Home Depot or Lowes whatever and get some 1" hard styrofoam ( about a half sheet will do) and cut into quarters and place out where the car will be parked so the car sits on top of them!

The styrofoam will obsorb the weight of the car and avoid flatspotting!

Letting the suspension hang is a horrible idea. The suspension is not designed the hang for a long period of time. Just park it with some defense against mice and a tender if possible and leave it. Don't start it periodically. Leave it alone til spring

Zdrrguy

11-24-2012 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C586
(Post 5842745)

Letting the suspension hang is a horrible idea. The suspension is not designed the hang for a long period of time. Just park it with some defense against mice and a tender if possible and leave it. Don't start it periodically. Leave it alone til spring

Yuup, Use dryer bounce for the motor area and interior, they hate the stuff.

SPARTAN sui

11-24-2012 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zdrrguy
(Post 5842768)

Yuup, Use dryer bounce for the motor area and interior, they hate the stuff.

I'm not saying mice don't hate that, but I'll just forward what I heard at the dealership when I had my Impala serviced over a year ago. They found a mice ate some electrical wiring under my engine cover. I asked them about dryer sheets, they said some mice hate them, but some mice don't mind. They also said they've heard of mice actually using dryer sheets as nesting material. Go figure!

Not sure if it's 100% accurate or not, but thought I'd share.

One thing that should work is poison and snap traps. That's the only thing I would really worry about for storing it for long periods.

That, or put a car cover on and get a garage cat to watch your car. :laugh:

DGthe3

11-25-2012 01:09 AM

You're probably going to be in the 'maybe' zone for storing the tires warmly. Chances are you'll be OK with them in the garage & on the car ... but I wouldn't say you're being obsessive by removing them & storing inside either.

In any case, I'm moving this discussion to the general ZL1 forum because this topic probably affects more Americans than it does Canadians.

DangerZL1

11-25-2012 08:15 AM

I don't think it would be a problem to store it using the above suggestions. Mine was one of the early builds that sat out in the weather in Canada with snow all around it during the quality hold and I didn't notice any problems with the tires. As long as the tires warm up before you move it, you should be fine. I'd also inflate them to 35 psi.

gew248

11-25-2012 08:31 AM

For mice, I purchased a Pest Pro from Lowes. I put it on the garage floor in front of of the car. Here is the one I bought.

My winter routine is a good cleaning, cover, and inflate tires up to 40 psi. I think running the car up on some hard rubber or styrofoam would be a good idea, but I've never done that. Battery tender is a must as well.

camarohwk23

11-25-2012 12:39 PM

Here's a very dumb question for you Camaro owners up north, but why would you take off your tires for the winter when storing? Again, sorry I know but I'm from deep south Texas and have never had that problem. Thinking about it, I went to The Ohio State University for 4 years during college and owned a 99 Camaro and never did that or heard about any one doing that.

Russell James

11-25-2012 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camarohwk23
(Post 5844045)

Here's a very dumb question for you Camaro owners up north, but why would you take off your tires for the winter when storing? Again, sorry I know but I'm from deep south Texas and have never had that problem. Thinking about it, I went to The Ohio State University for 4 years during college and owned a 99 Camaro and never did that or heard about any one doing that.

Applies to the Goodyear Supercar tires on the ZL1. According to Goodyear they shouldn't be stored at less than 20F. And if they get that cold, must be slowly warmed to over 40F over 24hrs.

So you really can't just warm them back up in cold temps by driving them, you'd be risking surface cracks. Super soft performance tires can have cracking problems if taken from too cold to warm too fast.

Hanging the suspension using jackstands isn't going to be a problem. I'd either use jackstands or a spare set of tires/wheels for winter storage. And stick the ZL1 tires somewhere heated for the winter.

From a Goodyear Supercar tire bulletin:Tire Storage

Follow the general tire storage recommendations in Product Service Bulletin 2010-21, Proper Procedures for the Storage of Tires. Further, it is recommended for these tires to be stored indoors at temperatures above 20 deg F (-7 deg C) when not in use. If the tires have been subject to 20 deg F (-7 deg C) or less, let them warm up in a heated space to at least 40 deg F for 24 hours or more before installation or driving the vehicle. Inflate the tires only after they have been warmed above 40 deg F (5 deg C). Do not place tires near heaters or heating devices used to warm the room where the tires are stored. Do not apply heat or blow heated air directly on the tires. Always inspect tires before use after storage periods as outlined in the Proper Procedures for the Storage of Tires bulletin.
THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, GOODYEAR CANADA INC.
PRODUCT SERVICE DEPARTMENT

TJ91

11-25-2012 01:19 PM

Zl1 tires will crack in the cold

DFWZ28

11-26-2012 08:19 PM

Sorry for a dumb Texas question. Why don't you buy a decent window hung or large space heater?

shank0668

11-26-2012 08:23 PM

If you were doing this, I would think you would want stands on the A-arms, so the suspension is still taking the weight?